Harvey Haddix Had It -- And Lost It
Who pitched he best game in baseball history? Sandy Koufax? Bob Gibson? Nolan Ryan? Maybe Cliff Lee or C. C. Sabathia? Time's up. It was a lefthanded pitcher for the 1959 Pittsburgh Pirates, Harvey Haddix. On this date (May 26) 52 years ago, Haddix pitched 12 perfect innings against the defending National League champion Milwaukee Braves --Henry Aaron, Joe Adock, Eddie Mathews, Del Crandall and all the rest -- and lost the game in the 13th inning on an Adock home run-turned-double when Joe passed Hank Aaron on the basepaths, nullifying a round tripper that would have made the final score 3-0. Felix Mantilla had reached on Don Hoak's throwing error for the Braves' first base runner. Eddie Mathews bunted Mantilla to second and Aaron was intentionally passed. When Adcock stroked his apparent home run, Aaron thought the ball stayed in the park,stopped at second and head for the dugout when he saw Mantilla score the winning run. But enough trivia. Haddix set 36 men down in order, something that had never happened before in the majors. The Kitten had reason to howl because he was robbed big time for a number of reasons. First, his performance was incredible considering he faced a lineup with two Hall of Famers and several All-Star caliber players, such as Adock and Crandall. Second, the Pirates made 12 hits against Selva Lewis Burdette, known for his three wins in the 1957 World Series and his alleged spitball that he jokingly called his "best pitch," with a wink to the sportswriters. Third, journeyman leadoff hitter Dick "Ducky" Schofield got three of Pittsburgh's hits but never touched home plate with Bill Virdon, Smoky Burgess, Rocky Nelson and Bob Skinner -- four tough lefthanded hitters --batting behind him. The Pirates left eight men on base while Haddix kept going 1-2-3 on the Braves. Fourth, the Braves played without Red Schoendienst at second base, using Johnny O'Brien in the leadoff spot. J.B. went oh-for-three. Mathews, Aaron, Crandall and Andy Pafko all went for the collar in four trips. Fifth, the Braves made up for the lack of hitting with three double plays to kill Pirate rallies. A great competitor and class act, Haddix said afterward, "All I know is that we lost. What's so historic about that?" Burdette, another class act, called Haddix in the visiting clubhouse to tell him that he had pitched the greatest game in the history of baseball, adding, "It was a damned shame that you had to lose." That exchange not only underscores what Haddix -- lifetime record 136-113 with one 20 game season in 14 years -- had done but how baseball has changed. Remember, both men pitched the entire game. Haddix refused to call it a night at the urging of manager Danny Murtaugh after completing 12 perfect innings and seeing the Bucs fail to score in the 13th. Burdette alllowed a dozen hits in 13 innings, did not allow a run and did not walk a batter. How many modern-day pitchers have done that? Adcock's deciding blow was, according to the Baseball Almanac box score, was the only extra-base blow of the game. Wow. Of course, there are thousands, maybe millions of baseball fans who may have told you they saw the game. But let's look at the record. The County Stadium crowd that night was smaller than typical, as 19,194 fans went through the turnstiles of a stadium razed 10 years ago for Miller Park's parking lot. No matter how many people were there or claim hey were there, it's a fair bet that we will not see a game like it ever again. Pitch counts, lefty-righty relief specialists, and situational pinch-hitters make it highly improbable that a 13-inning epic like the one on May 26, 1959 -- near-perfection or not -- will ever happen again. Harvey Haddix and Lew Burdette are no longer with us. My hope is that this article will allow them to be with us in recalling one night long ago when two consummate pros did something incredible in a game for the ages. Harvey Haddix pitched his last game on August 28, 1965 for the Baltimore Orioles. In September, he was traded but decided to retire instead. Haddix was traded -- to the Milwaukee Braves.